The review comes just days after public backlash forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration to withdraw an order compelling smartphone makers to preload a government cyber-safety app on new devices. Critics argued that the mandate opened the door to state surveillance—an accusation that has intensified scrutiny of the government’s approach to digital regulation.
Push for Precision Tracking
For years, Indian authorities have complained that telecom operators are unable to provide sufficiently accurate location data during investigations. Under the current system, operators rely on cellular tower triangulation, which can leave a margin of error of several meters.
In June, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)—representing major carriers including Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel—proposed to the federal IT ministry that the government mandate Activation of Assisted GPS (A-GPS) on all smartphones. A-GPS combines satellite signals with mobile network data to provide far more precise coordinates.
But the carriers’ proposal goes much further: it would require location services to remain activated at all times, with no option for users to disable them. That measure, three sources said, has been firmly resisted by Apple, Google, and Samsung, who warned New Delhi that it would undermine user privacy, contradict global standards, and expose consumers—including sensitive groups—to excessive surveillance.
Industry Pushback and Global Warning Signs
In a confidential July letter reviewed by Reuters, the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA)—which represents both Apple and Google—argued that the proposal had “no precedent anywhere else in the world.” The group said that A-GPS was never designed for continuous tracking and warned that mandating it would amount to “regulatory overreach.”
Technology experts echo those concerns.
“This proposal would see phones operate as a dedicated surveillance device,” said Junade Ali, a digital forensics specialist affiliated with the Institution of Engineering and Technology in the UK.
Cooper Quintin of the U.S.-based Electronic Frontier Foundation described the idea as “pretty horrifying,” adding that he was unaware of any similar policy anywhere in the world.
Although governments routinely seek enhanced access to mobile location data for law-enforcement and national-security purposes, mandatory device-level tracking represents a dramatic departure. Russia, for example, requires the installation of state-backed communications apps on all phones, but does not impose continuous satellite-based tracking.
No Decision Yet—But Concern Is Growing
India’s IT and home ministries are still evaluating the telecom industry’s proposal, and no final policy direction has been made. A scheduled meeting between senior government officials and smartphone industry executives was postponed on Friday, according to a source familiar with the planning.
Apple, Google, Samsung, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, as well as lobbying groups ICEA and COAI, did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
India—home to more than 735 million smartphones as of mid-2025—is overwhelmingly dominated by Google’s Android platform, which runs on more than 95 percent of devices, with Apple’s iOS accounting for most of the remainder. Any regulatory shift, therefore, would immediately affect hundreds of millions of users.
Security, Transparency, and a Brewing Policy Clash
In addition to privacy risks, ICEA warned the government that always-on device tracking could jeopardise sensitive groups such as military personnel, judges, journalists, and corporate executives—many of whom handle confidential or security-sensitive information. Allowing their precise locations to be permanently accessible could expose them to new forms of targeting.
Telecom firms counter that current systems are becoming less effective because phone manufacturers now display pop-up notifications when carriers attempt to access location data—alerts that could tip off a person under investigation. COAI argued that smartphone makers should be required to disable such pop-ups.
Apple and Google strongly rejected that argument, saying user transparency should not be compromised. Disabling those warnings would “erode user control over their location” and undermine trust, ICEA wrote.
A Debate Far From Over
As concerns about surveillance, data protection, and regulatory overreach dominate India’s technology policy landscape, the proposed A-GPS mandate is emerging as one of the most consequential privacy debates in years. With ministries still weighing the implications and public sensitivity running high, the government is expected to face intense domestic and international scrutiny as it decides whether to move forward.